Highest waterfalls of the world Start > Waterfalls of the world > Highest waterfalls of the world Highest waterfalls of the world WATERFALLS WITH THE HEIGHT ABOVE 300 M About page In the list there are included waterfalls with the height above 300 meters. This list is compiled of several sources but author has not gained confidence that this list is complete. Could it be true, that Europe has such a big share of world's highest waterfalls? In South America is located the highest waterfall of the world - but there are just few other waterfalls above 300 m? 1. Salto Angel, (Salto Churún Merú) Country: Venezuela Location: Canaima National park River: Gauja (Rio Gauya), tributary of Rio Churún. The last in turn is tributary of Rio Caroni. The name - Gauja - to the river has been given by Latvian Alejandro Laime , who was the first to reach this waterfall by land. The other Gauja river is located in Latvia - in fact it is among the most beautiful rivers of Latvia. Often there is made mistake by telling that this waterfall is on Rio Churún.

Height: 979 m Other information: At the lower part the waterfall is 150 m wide. Europeans discovered the waterfall in 1935. Waterfalls is named after James Angel - American adventurer, who had to make an emergency landing with his plane nearby in 1937. 2. Tugela Falls River: Tyssa - the flow has been decreased by hydropowerplant Height: 647 m 10. Salto Kukenan, Cuquenan Country: Venezuela, Guyana Location: Cuquenan tepui (tepuis - huge, wast plateaus in the south of Venezuela, in the north of Brasil and in Guyana) River: Rio Cuquenan, tributary of Rio Caroni Height: 610 m Links: To my mind this is very interesting homepage with comparatively qualitative pictures. 11. Dudhsagar Falls Location: Border of Karnataka and Goa states River: Mandovi Height: 600 m Other information: There are higher waterfalls in India. This is located in luch tropical jungle. The waterfall is not vertical, it falls over the Deccan plateau.

It is possible that we hear about this waterfall just because it is very popular tourism destination in Goa state, which is easily accessible for Europeans. Other information: Discovered in 1994, the highest waterfall in Mexico. 19. Della Falls Location: Brittish Columbia, Vancouver Island, Strathcona Provincial Park River: Drinkwater Creek Height: 440 m Other information: Three cascades, the fall is nearly vertical. The highest waterfall in Canada. The first white man - hunter Joe Drinkwater - saw the waterfall in 1899, it is named after the wife of Drinkwater. Water is fed by the glacier lake. 20. Gavarnie Falls (Grande Cascade) Country: France Location: Pyrenees, Lourdes, Western Pyrenees National Park River: Gave de Pau Height: 423 m (425m, 442m ?) Other information: In Gavarnie circus there are 12 waterfalls falling from steep 400 - 500 m high cliffs - this waterfall is the highest. It has two cascades.

Waterfall is fed by the water of Glase lake (Spain) and the melting snow. At the beginning of summer, when the snow melts, both cascades merge into one. Links: The picture is at the bottom part of this page . 21. Konkoure Falls Location: Northern part of the country River: Konkoure River Height: 411 m Other information: Konkoure River has got many waterfalls, when running down from Fouta Djallon plateau. The height of these waterfalls is from 24 till 411 metres. ( Encyclopædia Britannica River: Krimmler, tributary of Salzach Height: 380 m Other information: The highest waterfall in Austrian Alps. Three cascades, the most impressive has 140 m height. Links: Special homepage for this waterfall. More informative is this page . 23. Takkakaw Falls Location: Brittish Columbia, Yoho National Park River: Takkakaw Creek, Yoho River?

Height: 373 m Other information: Earlier this was considered to be the highest waterfall of Canada (503 m), but the measurements of year 1985 “lovered” it. Consists of three nearly vertical cascades. Waterfalls are fed by Dali glacier meltwater. Links: Information and pictures from ~geoffcon/falls/takakkaw.htm 24. Vetis Falls (Vettisfossen) Angel Waterfall of Venezuela - The World's Highest Waterfall | 360° Aerial Panoramas, 360° Virtual Tours Around the World, Photos of the Most Interesting Places on the Earth Photogallery Total Views: 2 420 677 In March of 2011, Dima Moiseenko flew to Venezuela to shoot Angel Falls, the world's highest waterfall. Due to extremely unstable weather conditions that covered the region, a long distance and technical difficulties the photo session lasted for two days. However, all of these difficulties were overcome. Dima managed to shoot Angel Falls and two other waterfalls that flow from the Tepui. He also managed to shoot some spherical panoramas while flying over the gold mines.

First part of the photo shoot (near the waterfall) can be seen here Now we invite you to a virtual tour: Angel Waterfall of Venezuela — The World's Highest Waterfall During last several years we have shot aerial panoramas of the world's most famous and exotic waterfalls: Iguazu Falls in Brazil/Argentina; Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe; Black Waterfall in Iceland... Naturally, when I came across discounted tickets to Margarita Island (the Mecca of windsurfers and kite boarders) in Venezuela, Salto Angel (Angel Falls) seemed an easy target. It is a well-known fact that Angel Falls is the highest in the world! The highest point of the falls reaches 979 meters, with water falling from a height of 807 meters. The height of the falls is so great that by the time it reaches the ground it becomes tiny particles that turns into fog. It should also be mentioned that Venezuela is a unique country. In addition to having Hugo Chavez and the unusually cheap price of gasoline (it only cost 100 rubles to fill up a Jeep), it is also home to the Tepui Mountain formation.

Tepui (or Tepuy) is a strange-looking mountain with a flat top called a "table-top" (because it is flat like a table). These unique geological formations are found mostly in the Venezuelan Guiana Highland in South America. The word ‘Tepui' comes from the language of the Pemon Indians. Tepui means ‘house of the gods'. The Tepui formations are completely isolated from each other. The Tepui towers over the jungle making it a home to unique plants and animals. According to the article in Wikipedia the Angel waterfall was discovered when American aviator Jimmie Angel flew over Tepuy on 16 November 1933 on a flight while he was searching for a valuable ore bed. Returning on 9 October 1937, Angel tried to land his Metal Aircraft Corporation Flamingo monoplane El Río Caroní; atop Auyan-tepui, but the plane was damaged when the wheels sank into the marshy ground, and he and his three companions, including his wife Marie, were forced to descend the tepui on foot.

It took them 11 days to make their way back to civilization,via the gradually sloping backside but news of their adventure spread, and the waterfall was named Angel Falls in his honor. Here you can also find some of the highest waterfalls in the world. Imagine kilometers-high mountains with steep vertical walls and flat tops in the middle of dense jungles. On these, water accumulates after even a slight amount of rainfall, eventually coming down in numerous waterfalls. Angel Falls is just one of the waterfalls but it's the highest one since it is almost a kilometer tall. This attribute gives Angel the status of being "the highest waterfall in the world." Other affluent rivers descent from the same Auyantepui mountain, but they are "only" 200 — 300 meters high. Since mountain waterfalls are fed by rain, travel time needs to be planned carefully. During the dry season, Angel is just a trickle of water. In the rainy season, it is a full-fledged waterfall. However, the weather is so unpredictable that it is possible to not see it in all of its glory, even in as much time as a month...

Although the current season turned out to be dry, our informers reported a recent heavy rainfall. This would yield a full-fledge waterfall — we had to hurry up! While in Moscow, I researched that there was no helicopter service near the waterfall at the Canaima National Park. Small airplanes that successfully served tourists in this area wouldn't have worked for us. With this in mind, I started searching for transportation on the first day of my arrival to the island of Margarita. Angel Falls is located in the jungles of Venezuela, so anyone can only get there by air or river. After 3 days of searching, I called a company that services the gold mines with a Bell-206 helicopter. The company is located 100 kilometers from the waterfall. It very well could fly "dear Russian guests" to the coveted Angel Waterfall in the first part of the day. It took two planes, the Orinoco River crossing, and 8-hours long jeep ride to get from Margarita Island to the company office... But we are ready to go through all difficulties. So soon enough I found myself standing next to the yellow helicopter ready to take off.

The first day we took off at 7 am and arrived at the foot of Angel Falls at 8:15 am. The helicopter landed near the camp, from which a hiking trail led tourists to the waterfall. Our informers did not disappoint us: there was a full-fledged waterfall coming down from the mountain top. Even at a considerable distance, Angel made a strong impression on us. After falling from a kilometer-high distance water is broken in the particles at the foot of the falls. It leaves you standing in a cloud of "water fog" wondering where is this river coming from... It was down there, under a shower of a million tiny water droplets, at where it seemed that nowhere else could one feel the grandeur of the surrounding nature. So, the final preparations for the flight were made, we removed the doors and the helicopter was ready for takeoff. Although the sky above the waterfall was clear, it was heavy overcast above Mount Auyantepui (from which flows Angel). I decided that we should just fly to the mountaintop and wait there. We barely found a landing site among the "forest" of rock formations covering the top of the mesa.

It is only from a distance Tepui seem smooth, but in fact it has multi-metered crevices and steep walls ranging from a height of ten floors. It slightly limits your ability to move around the "table" surface. Within an hour blue gaps would open up in the clouds, only to close again. Unfortunately, they happened far away from the waterfall. Suddenly, within about five minutes, an ascending cloud engulfed us, and we were in dense fog. Within hours, the fog was so thick that the pilot not only refused to do the photo-shoot, but also did not even consider taking off. This kilometer-high cliff and the clouds emerging from down below would excite us at any other time. But now, unfortunately, we were seriously stuck on top of the mountain. The pilot's words didn't encourage us either: he mentioned that fogs like this could last more than a day. However, we were lucky. By lunch time, the fog started to thin out, so we took off. The pilot found a gap in the fog and we quickly and joyfully flew down to the camp. Throughout the descent I felt something surreal — we were flying through a tunnel of fog that formed around us.

I managed to get one shot before the top of the mountain completely disappeared from our sight. When we reached the ground and started to hang the helicopter doors back in place, the waterfall, as if it were laughing at us, suddenly appeared in all of its beauty. The dense wall of fog had completely dissipated in ten minutes! Although the high clouds over Auyantepui persisted, I decided to shoot spherical panoramas with the available light. As a result, I was able to capture all the targeted locations during the first day (but with remnants of clouds and fog, and no sunlight). In the evening, I put together previews of these panoramas on my laptop: unfortunately it didn't give me satisfaction. I decided to fly back to Angel on the second day. This time we flew out from a village of gold miners simply called "88 km". One hour ride to the waterfall. The sky was overcast. What was the weather like at the waterfall? It is over 90 kilometers away. No one knew. When we landed at the base camp at 8 o'clock in the morning, the waterfall was not visible at all. Even Auyantepui mountain walls were completely covered with constantly growing fog.

At 10 o'clock, about half of the waterfall became visible. By 11 o'clock, the top started to appear. I decided to go ahead and take off to shoot the cloud in the middle of the waterfall. I set my second camera with a telephoto lens on a tripod to capture the helicopter with Angel Falls in the background. The camera was programmed to automatically capture the waterfall (shooting in 5 second intervals) with my helicopter in sight. The sky above us was grey. As we took off and began to ascent, the top of the waterfall disappeared once again in the fog... Never the less, I shot one spherical panorama... On the second lap around, I felt like there was something wrong with the camera. It turned out that my shutter was malfunctioning. We had to go down, change the camera, and once again... wait. The sky suddenly became clear and by 12:30 it was almost completely blue, but... as ‘Murphy's law' would have it, both Angel waterfall and the top of Auyantepui were still invisible. So, for the sake of not wasting time, I decided to capture the nearby waterfalls.

We circled around a magnificent 300-meter high waterfall with a scary name "Dragon". Then we moved to "Salto Cortina" with two cascades of 200-meters each. Still Dragon waterfall was my favorite — located in a very beautiful place and surrounded by the cliffs on three sides, it made one of the best panoramic views. At the end of shooting the Dragon Waterfall, I saw that the cloud above Angel had lifted. We then immediately flew back. Within just a few minutes the fog was completely gone, and I started shooting Angel Falls from above. It was one o'clock in the afternoon, only the very top was in the sun and the bottom of the falls was covered in shade. It lasted 15 minutes. I managed to get a helicopter to fly 800 meters from the mountaintop along the falls down to the ground and shoot about a dozen spherical panoramas. It was particularly difficult to shoot at the bottom of the falls. Water vapor completely enveloped the helicopter, so much so that I had to clean the lens after shooting each panorama. While shooting my next spherical photo, I saw that a low cloud at the top of the waterfall was only slowly moving in; however, I made it.

On the ground, in the camp, while our pilot fixed the removed doors, I looked back only to see that the cloud had completely covered the waterfall... This is how nature treats us: she gives us 15 minutes in 2 days! On our way back we spotted surreal red and green colors down on the ground. It turned to be the gold mines! After a bit of quarreling, the pilot agreed to hover over the mines with a removed door for a small tip. But he warned us that if locals see a man with the camera, they might start shooting. The prospect of running into an angry gold-digger was not the ‘gold at the end of the rainbow' so to speak. At the same time I remembered how the pilot exaggerated about spending the night in the fog at the top of the mountain, and decided to risk it. The most popular association people make with the gold mines is the city of El Dorado. According to the legend, the Spanish explorers of South America encountered many people that wore gold jewelry and used gold products in their daily lives. There arose a myth of a gold city, which according to the legend, was located somewhere on the border of modern Columbia and Venezuela.

This story of El Dorado drew the Spaniards deep into the heart of the continent. Although El Dorado has never been found, variations of the legend can still be heard across the land of Venezuela. Only upon our return home, we found out we were circling over one of the major gold mines. They have open-pit gold mining here, which explains its bright red clay. Gold miners live in the village, located directly at the borders of the mine. It's called Ciudad Dorada. Sounds very much like El Dorado, doesn't it? And although I did not see the Golden City, I am glad that the flight over the mines went well. Perhaps the miners were tired of working at the 40-degree heat and the humidity of the jungle, or the rain scared them off (the rain that came with a rainbow). Or perhaps our pilot did his job well to earn the tip. But no one even paid attention to us, so we finished our photo shoot in one piece. On our way back, I finally had that feeling of satisfaction from my finished work. Everything went well. The mission to shoot Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world, as well as its beautiful surroundings, was now a success.

Highest Waterfalls of the World World > Geography > World Geography Highest Waterfalls of the World The following table lists the world's tallest waterfalls including the name, location, source, and height. Angel in Venezuela is the world's tallest waterfall dropping 979 meters. Name(s) (foreign) upper trib. of Rio Caroni 3,212 Natal Nat'l Park, South Africa Tugela River Yosemite Nat'l Park, California, U.S. Yosemite Creek Lower Mar Valley (Østra Mardolafoss) Eikesdal, Norway Yosemite Nat'l Park, California, U.S. Sentinel Creek Yoho Nat'l Park, B.C., Canada Takkakaw Creek Yosemite Nat'l Park, California, U.S. Ribbon Stream Strathcona Provincial Park, B.C., Canada Della Lake Cachoeira da Fumaça (Glass or Smoke) Chapada Diamantia Nat'l Park, Brazil — Hohe Tauern Nat'l Park, Austria Krimmler Ache Yosemite Nat'l Park, California, U.S. Silver Strand Creek 1. Unofficial (estimated) height. Subject to revision. 2. Incorporated in hydroelectric scheme. Greatly diminished flow.

Sources: Merriam Webster's Geographical Dictionary, Third Edition (1997); The State of Hawaii Data Book 2001; John Steven Lasher, Fifth Continent Australia Pty Ltd. The Highest Waterfall in the World «TwistedSifter Photograph by ENT108 At fifteen times the height of Niagara Falls, Angel Falls is the highest in the world. Just how tall is it? How did it get its name? Did someone seriously BASE jump from the top? Littered amongst the stunning images below you will find the answers. Enjoy! Angel Falls is the world’s highest waterfall, with a height of 979 meters (3,212 ft) and a plunge of 807 meters (2,647 ft) Photograph by Stingrayintl It is located in the Canaima National Park, an UNESCO World Heritage site in the Gran Sabana region of Bolivar State, Venezuela. It is one of the country’s top tourist destinations despite its isolated location Photograph by One Off Man Mental Did you know the height of the falls is so great, that before getting anywhere near the ground, the water is atomized by the strong winds and turned into mist?

The mist can be felt a mile (1.6 km) away! The base of the falls feeds into the Kerep River (alternatively known as the Rio Gauya), which flows into the Churun River, a tributary of the Carrao River Photograph by Teen Wolf Why is it called Angel Falls? Apparently, the falls were not known to the outside world until American aviator Jimmie Angel flew over them on November 16, 1933 during a flight searching for a valuable ore bed. Returning on October 9, 1937, Angel tried to land his Flamingo monoplane, El Rio Caroni atop the mountain, but the plane was damaged when the wheels sank into the marshy ground. He and his three companions, including his wife Marie, were then forced to descend the mountain on foot. It took them 11 days to make their way back to civilization, but news of their adventure spread, and the waterfall was named Angel Falls in his honor. Angel’s plane remained on top of the mountaintop for 33 years before being lifted out by helicopter.

It was restored at the Aviation Museum in Maracay and now sits outdoors on the front of the airport at Ciudad Bolívar. Photograph by Tom Sanders via Edjane Obama Have people actually BASE jumped from the top of Angel Falls? Yes! Video proof can be found below: Did you know current President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, wants to strip the name ‘Angel Falls’ in favour of an indigenous one? “How could we accept this idea that the falls were discovered by a guy who came from the United States in a plane. If we do that, that would be like accepting that nobody was living here,” Chavez mused on his weekly radio and television show, “Hello Mr President.” – source: Yahoo! News Sources – And what would a natural wonder be without the soothing voice of Sir David Attenborough? Check out the glorious scene below from my all-time favourite nature series Planet Earth. This will undoubtedly be removed by YouTube very shortly, so enjoy while you can! Highest Waterfall in the World - Tallest in the United States Highest Waterfall in the World & Tallest Waterfall in the United States Angel Falls: A view of Angel Falls from a location near the base.

This image by Tomaszp is used here under a Creative Commons license . World's Highest Waterfall Angel Falls (Salto Ángel) in Venezuela is the highest waterfall in the world. The falls are 3230 feet in height, with an uninterrupted drop of 2647 feet. Angel Falls is located on a tributary of the Rio Caroni. The falls are formed when the tributary stream falls from the top of Auyantepui (a tepui is a flat-topped structure surrounded by cliffs - similar to a mesa). Tallest waterfall on Earth: Angel Falls in Venezuela viewed from a distance. Image © iStockphoto / FabioFilzi. Angel Falls location map: Location of Angel Falls in eastern Venezuela. CIA Factbook Map. Yosemite location map: United States Forest Service Map showing the location of Yosemite National Park. View larger map . Tallest Waterfall in the United States Yosemite Falls in California is the tallest waterfall in the United States. It is located in Yosemite National Park and has a vertical drop of 2425 feet. Tallest waterfall in the USA: Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park. Image © iStockphoto / SashaBuzko.

More Earth Extremes Top 10 Tallest Waterfalls - based on cumulative height [Back to top] INTRODUCTION Due to numerous inquiries, we've decided to showcase the tallest waterfalls that we've personally visited in our travels. One critical definition to make clear here is that "tallest" refers to the cumulative height of the waterfall. We have a separate list for waterfalls with the tallest leap . I have to admit that I've been critical about any World's Tallest list because there's no consensus as to how waterfalls are defined (i.e. when a waterfall begins and ends, how long it must flow to count, etc.) and even fewer have been accurately measured (with the clinometer and rangefinder combo along with some trigonometry). So it's extremely difficult to come up with a definitive list of tallest waterfalls. Indeed, those lists that are already out there can easily be picked apart by someone who has actually been to the waterfalls that can make that judgement call or provide solid scientific evidence for their inclusion or exclusion. That's why we're limiting this list to just the ones we've seen. And as you can imagine, it's certainly not easy to put together this list even for the ones we have been to!

So we've relied on our judgment, estimates from the World Waterfall Database , and some local input. Moreover, to narrow down this list a bit more, we've added an additional criteria that the waterfall must flow reliably and with appreciable volume on average for at least 6 months out of the year, year after year. Hopefully, this eliminates some of those seasonal waterfalls that some might say do not count as legitimate waterfalls worth giving special attention to. The end result is our list in reverse order... 10. SKRIKJOFOSSEN [Hordaland, Norway] For a while, we had left this falls off the list because we bought into initial estimates that this falls was "only" 455m tall. However, we brought it back on this list after combining the latest findings from the Norgeskart (formerly Norgesglasset) with our field observations. For reasons we've described later on this page , we're going with a tentative height of 560m, which qualifies this mysterious waterfall on this list. 3.

RAMNEFJELLFOSSEN (UTIGARDSFOSSEN) [Stryn, Norway] This towering waterfall falling from glaciers into the lake Lovatnet can easily be overlooked as another run-of-the-mill tall waterfall in Norway. However, after finally gaining some traction in its height measurements thanks to added features to Norgeskart by Statens Kartverk, we can finally lend some credibility to the claims that it's 818m (2,685ft) tall. I think a return trip here is in order to get better views, take our time, and come prepared with a clinometer/rangefinder combo to settle the science once and for all. Aside from statistics, as you can see from the photo, it's certainly a feast for the eyes. 2. BROWNE FALLS [Fiordland, New Zealand] This long cascade draining Lake Browne and dropping into the Doubtful Sound has been the subject of many conversations regarding whether it's the tallest in New Zealand or not.

Well, based on examining the NZMapped GPS Topographic Map (which itself is derived from Land Information New Zealand data), it's conceivable that the falls tops off at the reported 836m (2,744ft) though there have been published brochures saying the falls is 619m (possibly the first 200m or so of its drop is sloping stream before making the steep cascade). Now this waterfall blends in with many of the other cascades you might find in the Doubtful Sound so even identifying this guy is a challenge unless you knew exactly what you're looking for. 1. ANGEL FALLS (SALTO ÁNGEL) [Canaima, Venezuela] So far this waterfall has stood the test of time and debate as being the consensus tallest waterfall on earth! Statistically speaking, it has a cumulative height of 979m (3,212ft). It leaps off the Auyantepui, which itself is an isolated plateau collecting rain at its soggy, mysterious top, and thus the presence of this waterfall is a miracle and an oddity in and of itself!

If you're looking to gaze upon this world wonder, be aware that clouds frequently cover its top so patience and a little luck is needed to get the view you want. [Back to top] Now For Some Gory Details... Finally, we acknowledge that putting out a list like this opens the door for debate about which waterfalls belong and don't belong. Again, it all depends on who you talk to and what his/her criteria is so we realize that there is no definitive list of world's tallest. Anyways, just to answer some nagging concerns about some notable omissions (especially if you're wondering why we didn't religiously follow the World Waterfall Database list), let's get to it... First off, it looked like Statens Kartverk in Norway improved their online topographic map (was previously called Norgesglasset, but is now just Norgeskart ). A key feature they added was to be able to plot out elevation profile, which now makes height estimations paired up with field observations that much more effective. So given that, we took out Strupenfossen despite its reported height of 820m (2,690ft).

That's because we looked into Norgeskart and its drop of nearly 1000m runs over 2km with significantly smaller steep drops. That seems to agree with our field observations in that there were about three much smaller drops and the rest were more or less hidden or just insignificant streams. Døntefossen , which was reported to be 700m (2,296ft), was also left off the list. That's because a Norgesglasset inspection revealed that the waterfall profile was really more along the lines of 450m with maybe some additional height if you're counting streams with much less slope both above and below the main elevation loss. It's interesting to note that our original estimate of 476m (600m contour line subtracted by 124m contour line) wasn't that far off of this latest estimate. Seerenbach Falls , which was measured to have a cumulative height of about 585m (1,919ft) was left out because we don't think it would pass the longevity test. In other words, we don't think it has a long enough season to count amongst the major waterfalls in terms of height.

Other waterfalls that were left off the list (namely the Hawaiian ones) were left off because most of them don't last long enough to be reliably seen. And again, if you're wondering why Tugela Falls isn't on here, it's because we didn't visit it yet (thereby disqualifying it from this list). Besides, without seeing it in person, we can't make any field observations allowing us to at least have a chance at determining the waterfall's longevity and especially elevation profile to verify claims about its height. Just to throw a wrench into things, we re-examined the status of Skrikjofossen , which was said to be "only" 455m (1,493ft) tall. However, upon closer inspection of the new and improved Norgeskart (formerly Norgesglasset) with the height profile feature, we saw that you can make a strong case for its overall height to be on the order of 560m.

Moreover, it can easily be as much as 600m or more (due to a little bit of ambiguity regarding the elevation loss in the "skog" or wooded area) as a result of indeed hidden cascades that should (or shouldn't count) as part of the overall drop. I'm afraid that's really a judgement call since other waterfalls have been getting the benefit of the doubt regarding the inclusion of cascades in the vicinity of the main drop(s). It'll have to be one of those cases where field measurements will apply the science needed to resolve these judgment calls and ambiguities. So until that happens, we'll go with the tentative figure of 560m. Recently, we removed Catarata de Yumbilla from this list because we doubt it passes the more stringent longevity and volume test (i.e. 6 months of appreciable volume on average every year). Also under this requirement, we removed other waterfalls like Sentinel Falls and Catarata de Chinata from consideration. Another recent omission was Mardalsfossen . That was because it no longer fulfills the 6-month longevity and volume criteria we've recently imposed.

This waterfall has been regulated and only allowed to flow ostensibly from June 20 to August 20 (i.e. the Summer tourist season). Even though we were fortunate to see it flow in late June or early July of 2005, it can only be reliably seen for 2 months out of the year. Nonetheless, when it does flow, it's still impressive as it's said to have a cumulative height at around 656m, and its tallest of its two leaps is roughly 297m (though some have reported its tallest leap is 358m but one needs to be careful about the middle cascades between the two main leaps). Those figures would've put this waterfall on this list as well as the other Top 10 Tallest Waterfalls list we're maintaining. An interesting case is Ramnefjellfossen or (Utigardsfossen). I had previously left it off the list because I had expressed skepticism about its reported height of 818m (2,685ft). Then, from re-examining Norgesglasset, we saw that its height profile definitely lent some credibility to the lofty 818m figure.

Combining this new finding with our field observation, we decided to bring it back to the list. But its position won't be definitive until we apply the rangefinder/clinometer combo to put some science into this once and for all. Finally, after a trip to the Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland , we noticed a handful of waterfalls tumbling from heights that are an appreciable fraction of the peaks surpassing 13,000ft (meaning these cascades from top to bottom could conceivably have fallen over 4,000ft or more). These waterfalls seemed to have enough volume for them to be considered more than ephemeral waterfalls (i.e. they have nowhere near the volume of say Angel Falls, but probably have similar durations to say Ribbon Falls in Yosemite ). Should these waterfalls count? Even though most of them don't seem to have names except maybe one stream that was signposted Mattenbach, if you were to count these waterfalls, should they supplant Angel Falls as the world's tallest? At what point does this become a contest of seeing which topographic region has the highest drainages rather than the highest waterfalls (which totally depends on how you define them )?

Indeed, it's cases like these that test our tendency to want to designate a list enshrining the so-called "world's tallest waterfalls." It's also a big reason why we've added an additional restriction that the falls must flow reliably and with appreciable volume for at least half the year every year. Furthermore, it's one of the main reasons why I think most "world's tallest waterfalls" lists are mostly bogus even though we're presenting you with such a list on this page (and this only includes the waterfalls we've personally seen). In any case, I'm sure there are other waterfalls that you could argue should belong on this list. And as you can see from the blurb we've put at the end of the list, even we have mixed feelings about what belongs and what doesn't. So we'll leave this topic up for debate, which you can get into by leaving a comment on the form below... If you're curious about the tallest waterfalls we've been to based on the highest vertical drop, click here .

10 Biggest, Largest Waterfalls In The World - Conservation Institute 10 Biggest, Largest Waterfalls In The World Jul 11 • Amazing Places • 98121 Views • Comments Off on 10 Biggest, Largest Waterfalls In The World Anyone who’s seen a waterfall up close will agree that their majesty is almost indescribable. If even a small fall can inspire these feelings, imagine what it’s like to look at the world’s largest waterfall. These are the 10 biggest falls on the planet, based on their width, rather than height or volume. Each one is wonderful in its own way. 10. Inga Falls Inga Falls (Richard and Jo deMeester/Flickr) Inga Falls, a 3,000-foot wide waterfall, is located on the Congo River, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It’s a series of falls and rapids, which drops around 315 feet, but very gradually over a run of roughly 9 miles. However, the main, and most impressive, part of the falls drops around 70 feet in one go. There are hundreds of channels in these falls, separated out by a multitude of large rocks and small islands.

9. Niagara Falls Nigara Waterfall (Rodnet Campbell/Flickr) Despite being relatively low on the list of the world’s largest falls, Niagara Falls is undoubtedly the best known waterfall on the planet. It receives somewhere between 14 and 20 million visitors annually and has been the location for many foolhardy and daring feats, such as that performed by Annie Edson Taylor, who was the first person to survive a trip over the Niagara Falls in a barrel. At 3,950 feet wide, it’s far from the largest waterfall around, but it is the falls with the largest volume of water traveling through it. It has three separate parts: American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Horseshoe, or Canadian, Falls. 8. Chutes Wagenia Chutes Wagenia (wodofer/BlogSpot) Chutes Wagenia is more commonly known as Kisangani Falls or Stanley Falls, the former of which is accurate, but less often used, and the latter of which stems from British colonial times, and is inaccurate but has been proliferated.

It stretches 4,500 feet, across the whole of the width of the Lualaba River, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Despite its width, it’s not an extremely visually impressive waterfall, only dropping 30 feet in total, with the highest single fall dropping just 15 feet. 7. Victoria Falls Victoria Falls (Mick Byrne/Flickr) Victoria Falls is a 5,600-foot wide waterfall located on Zambezi River in Zimbabwe. The river falls roughly 344 feet into a gorge made up of lateral volcanic dikes, which were formed as the river eroded the rock and soil of its bed. As the water falls into the gorge, mist and spray rises up, more than 100 feet higher than the top of the falls, giving the appearance that smoke is rising out of a deep hole in the earth. This is where it gets its traditional name, Mosi-oa-Tunya, which translates to “the smoke that thunders.” The river is divided into four segments by two islands, resulting in four distinct falls, each of which has its own name: Devils Cataract, Main Falls, Rainbow Falls and Eastern Cataract. 6.

Vermilion Falls Vermilion Falls (Mattloyas342/Flickr) Although Vermilion Falls does not drop from an impressive height, falling only 15 to 20 feet, it is the sixth biggest waterfall in the world, in terms of width, as it spans 6,000 feet across. It’s located along Peace River, in Northern Alberta, Canada, which is an otherwise still and, as the name suggests, peaceful river. It’s likely that the rural nature of its location has stopped it from becoming too well known or much of a tourist attraction. However, if you can make it out there, it’s an impressive sight to behold. 5. Saltos del Mocono Saltos del Mocona waterfall (Cabanas Saltos Del/Flickr) Saltos del Mocono is part of the River Uruguay in Argentina. It’s amongst the most unique of all large-river waterfalls, as it drops down a 6,000-foot trough that has been carved lengthways into a basaltic formation. This makes it almost a full 180 degree semi-circle of waterfall. This 6,775-foot wide waterfall drops down roughly 35 feet.

Although the majority of the waterfall is in Argentina, some actually lies in Brazil, which is where most of the best viewpoint for the falls are. 4. Cataratas del Iguazo South America’s Cataratas del Iguazo is also known as Iguazo Falls. Part of the Rio Iguazo, the falls straddle the border between Argentina and Brazil. This 8,800-foot wide waterfall drops rough 269 feet. Most of the river fall down into an area known as Garganta del Diablo, or The Devil’s Throat, but the rest spreads out over a wide, flat shelf, splitting into hundreds of individual falls. This waterfall can vary greatly in volume, depending on how much rain has fallen. At times it shrinks down to a fraction of its usual size, but at other times it will spread to up to 9,500 feet wide. 3. Chutes Kongou Chutes Kongou (Cmpott/Flickr) Also known as Kongou Falls, Chutes Kongou measures 10,500 feet wide, making it the world’s third largest existing waterfall.

It’s part of the Ivindo River in Gabon, and is roughly 185 feet tall. Amongst the most powerful waterfalls in the world, roughly 31,800 cubic feet of water flow down it each second. These falls are truly a sight to behold, nestled amongst dense, equatorial rainforests. Kongou Falls is located within the Ivindo National Park, which was set up to protect the biodiversity of the Ivindo River. 2. Salto Para Salto Para(Ramon Morales/Flickr) Salto Para, or Para Falls, is an 18,400-foot wide waterfall on the Rio Caura in the Bolivar region of Venezuela. These half-moon shaped falls are formed where two parts of the river come together and drop down almost 200 feet, each side of a lush, green jungle island. 1. Chutes de Khone Chutes de Khone (Dsapiro/Flickr) Chutes de Khone – also known at Khone Falls – is the largest waterfall in the world. At 35,376 feet wide, it’s almost twice the width of it next largest competitor.

The falls are part of the Mekong river in Laos, and occur where the river splits into seven large channels and many more smaller ones. It’s made up of several different rapids and falls, cascading down 69 feet. The most defined part of the waterfall is a 45-foot drop, at a 60 degree angle.

Question: In which country is the world's highest waterfall
Answer: Venezuela